Stencil design files are typically created along with the circuit board designs. The stencil aperture sizes are often the same size as the copper pads (1:1). If solder paste was printed using these aperture sizes, then issues could occur such as solder balling or bridging. It is common practice to reduce the stencil aperture size […]
Solder Paste, Surface Finish 0
There are many solderable surface finishes used on printed circuit boards. These surface finishes are necessary to protect the copper pads from oxidation and corrosion. Copper oxidizes very quickly and the oxide thickness grows over time. Copper oxides are very difficult to solder to especially with low activity no-clean fluxes. Solderable surface finishes protect the […]
Surface mount soldering is the process of creating circuits using surface mount technology (SMT) components that are mounted directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards (PCBs). SMT technology is a key driver in the ever-important work of miniaturization of circuits, allowing for smaller, lighter devices with ever-increasing capabilities. Today’s cell phones have exponentially more […]
Solder paste flux is a gelatinous chemical compound used mainly in combination with solder powder to create solder paste, generally mixed as a 50/50 ratio. Once combined, the paste is a gray, putty-like material. Solder paste flux serves a threefold purpose: Removing any oxidized metal from the surfaces to be soldered Sealing out air, preventing […]
Solder paste can be made with a variety of solder powder sizes. Solder powder sizes are classified by Type in the IPC standard J-STD-005 Requirements for Soldering Pastes. Table 3-2 details the solder powder size ranges for each type, and an excerpt from the table is shown below*. *IPC J-STD-005A Requirements for Soldering Pastes, […]
